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At BookLocker.com, whenever I notice a mistake in a book, I alert the author. If I notice a few, I will send them a list. These errors can range from the occasional misuse of a word (their vs. there, for example), or a formatting inconsistency (Chapter 1, Chapter Two, etc.), to something like the author’s misuse of the term Prologue at the end of the book (should be Epilogue).

Since we send the formatted file back to the author for any final changes, they have the opportunity to make any corrections at no extra charge at that point in the process. Alerting the author when we notice an error helps them avoid future reader complaints and, of course, bad book reviews.

Here’s a dirty secret you won’t hear anyone talking about among P.O.D. publishers. Some of them see mistakes, and purposely allow them to remain in the book. Why would they do something like that? Aren’t they concerned about the author’s reputation? Aren’t they worried about their OWN reputation? In many cases, no.

Some of the author meat markets are only concerned about the amount of money they can drain from an author’s wallet. How can allowing mistakes to remain in a book further help their greedy goal? It’s quite simple. Most authors who are alerted to errors later, by readers or reviewers, will want to change their book and, of course, they must pay the P.O.D. publisher even MORE money to do that. Cha-Ching!

Allowing known errors to appear in the “final” book is a silent (and deeply unethical) way of upselling authors on file revisions later. Pretty disgusting.

I always recommend authors:

1. Have your book edited by a professional editor who works for YOU directly. (I have a list if you need it. We earn nothing at all for referring authors to these editors.) If you hire the editor, and you write the contract, they (not you) are responsible for their own errors.

2. NEVER pay a P.O.D. publisher to edit your book. EVER!

Not only will the P.O.D. publisher find a way to hold you responsible for any editing errors they created (“Sure, it’s our error, but you approved the file and, by the way, didn’t you read your contract?!”) but they will also claim ownership of the edited file YOU paid them to create. More about paying for production files you don’t really own can be found HERE.

Don’t assume your publisher will point out your errors (most won’t), and never, ever assume an editor who works for your P.O.D. publisher is perfect. We’ve received numerous complaints over the years about P.O.D. editors inserting more errors than they correct.

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela lives on a 52' Irwin Center Cockpit Ketch (sailboat) with her family and pets. Keep up with her family's adventurous liveaboard lifestyle at GotNoTanLines.com

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

POD Secrets Revealed!

UPDATED: 02/02/2018 EDITOR’S NOTE: Please also see “SELF-PUBLISHING? – How Many Book Sales Needed to Recoup Your Investment?” HERE. SUMMARY (see details about each firm below) BookLocker: Only $875 (Deduct $200 if …Read More

UPDATED 10/10/16 EDITOR’S NOTE: Please also see the 2018 Print on Demand Price Comparison HERE. Considering self-publishing? Are you wondering how many books you will need to sell to recoup your investment? …Read More

What are royalties? According to the I.R.S.: “Royalties from copyrights on literary, musical, or artistic works, and similar property, or from patents on inventions, are amounts paid to you for …Read More

This week, we’re going to show you why reading contracts is imperative when considering a P.O.D. publisher. Did you know… 1. AUTHORHOUSE OWNS YOUR PRODUCTION FILES…AND SO DOES ALMOST EVERYBODY …Read More

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WritersWeekly.com is one of the oldest and most respected sites on freelance writing. It has been published continuously since 1997. It's part of the BookLocker.com, Inc. family of businesses, which includes POD and ebook publisher BookLocker.com, Abuzz Press and Pub Preppers.